Devotional Guide, Today’s Reading – Thursday, September 16, 2021

Theme: SPIRITUAL KEYS TO HAPPINESS

Text: “Even a child is known by his doings, whether his work be pure, and whether it be right.” – Proverbs 20:11.

Comment: Everyone has his personal interests and passions which are legitimate and godly. They should be nurtured and cultivated once these interests are seen from childhood so that one’s expertise stands one out in the crowd. “Through desire a man, having separated himself, seeketh and intermeddleth with all wisdom.” (Proverbs 18:1) Scripture says that a child should be trained in the way he should go: so that when he is old, he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22:6) The fact is that pursuit of one’s passions makes one happy, gives joy to others and enhances one’s sense of wellbeing. These interests could be in travelling, tourism, painting, gardening, reading, designing clothes, building houses, hosting people and events, swimming, music, dancing, baking, cooking, interviewing people, sports, listening to the radio, watching TV, photography, caring for children, comedy.  A number of people have nurtured these interests over time and had become professionals in them,  Clues to what one loves doing are those hobbies a person had loved from childhood; what one does without worrying about time; without being distracted by quest for monetary gain and which ones does relatively easily. St. Paul in his letter to the Christians at Corinth explained that God endows His people with gifts “dividing to every man severally as he will”. (1 Corinthians 12:11) He also says: “But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that.” – 1 Corinthians 7:7.